After finding a pendant urn shaped like a bullet in his locker, Cruz’s brother informs him that Flaco’s cousin, Junior (Richard Cabral), has been released from prison. Soon enough, Junior finds Cruz to let him know he saw what he did. So how is Cruz handling his long-buried secret coming to life? Miñoso, who plays the character, has his say. Speaking with TV Insider, the actor reveals that it is not a good time for the firefighter as he juggles his secrets while protecting those he loves. Miñoso explains:
“Awful. No, I think as best he can. I feel like in a lot of ways, he can be proactive, but I think he’s just so concerned, especially now being a father and having a family; it’s such a different world perspective for him than it was in Season 1 when it was just about him and his brother. And so how to navigate not only protecting your family from something so dangerous, but also keeping them completely unaware of it is — also especially the firehouse family, which I think you’re going to see that kind of becomes impossible in Episode 10, to keep it a secret anymore really. And a lot will unfold in the next two episodes that will sort of really open up this storyline in ways that I really never thought we would explore. And it’s been a tremendous pleasure.”
The likelihood of Cruz’s secret blowing up in his face is exceedingly high and having a gangster hovering over your head with a vengeance isn’t exactly a good look. However, given that Cruz has yet to meet his end, it presents some form of hope that the Firehouse 51 Firefighter might survive after all. What exactly does surviving look like for Cruz? Will he pay with a close family member or will his career tank and see him imprisoned?
What Does Junior Want?
However, given the nature of the criminal underworld. It likely serves Junior better if he has Cruz under his thumb than dead. Should that turn out to be the case as hinted in the midseason premiere episode, A Favor, what could Junior possibly want from Cruz? Miñoso points audiences in the right direction, saying:
“Well, I think Junior wants what all criminals want. They want you to do some criming with them. Cruz needs to get involved in something to help Junior — well, he needs to make the decision as to whether or not he’s going to do that, but that means nothing, you know what I mean? “
Chicago Fire airs on Wednesdays on NBC. Stream past episodes on Peacock.
